The Lightning Plough Hot Knife was considered one of A's trump cards.
By channeling Lightning Release throughout his entire body and charging forward at incredible speed, he could deliver a fatal strike with overwhelming arm strength.
Even Sasuke, with his Mangekyō Sharingan activated—if not for Jūgo's intervention—would likely have been killed instantly by this technique.
Boom!
A deafening blast erupted in the room. Even the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, failed to catch A's movement.
By the time Hiruzen reacted, A's crushing arm strength had already smashed directly into Senju Haruto's chest.
Crash!
Haruto was sent flying like a kite with its string cut, slamming through the wall and collapsing it in rubble.
The samurai of the Land of Iron immediately formed up, ready to rush in and subdue A at any moment.
"Stand down!"
Mifune barked the order without a second thought.
He knew all too well—though the Land of Iron was a neutral nation, its peace didn't rely solely on the unique strength of the samurai…
It relied on the contracts with the shinobi.
In other words, no matter what kind of clash erupted between the Raikage and the Hokage here, he would not intervene.
"Take him back."
A's deep voice rumbled. For the sake of studying Senju Haruto's bloodline limit, he had deliberately held back, avoiding a killing blow.
Otherwise, his aim wouldn't have been Haruto's chest—it would have been his neck.
But even so, the force of the Lightning Plough Hot Knife was devastating.
Haruto lay on the ground, barely breathing, fresh blood pouring from his chest. A large chunk of flesh looked as though it had been gouged right out.
"Yes, sir."
At A's order, Cee and Yugito Nii quickly moved in to seize Haruto.
As for Sarutobi Hiruzen, A himself would keep him occupied.
Yet, just as Yugito reached for Haruto, his body suddenly began to change.
Breath, heartbeat, chakra—all vanished in an instant. Even his skin lost all color.
By the time Yugito and Cee realized what was happening, Haruto's body had transformed… into a wooden figure.
"A Wood Release clone?!"
Hiruzen froze for a moment. When he'd seen Haruto get struck down by A's attack, his mind had gone completely blank.
But now, seeing this… he was even more shocked.
Though not a top-tier sensory-type shinobi, Hiruzen's perception was far sharper than most elite jōnin.
Yet he hadn't noticed at all when Haruto used the Wood Release clone technique.
Just how fast was this kid growing?
Five years ago, he couldn't even mold chakra. He hadn't been accepted into the Ninja Academy.
In just five short years… what on earth had he gone through?
While Hiruzen's mind swirled with questions, Haruto's performance was only just beginning.
Yugito stared in surprise at the sudden transformation before her, her right hand instinctively halting mid-air.
But Haruto's Wood Release clone swelled and hardened at a speed visible to the naked eye, vines snapping out in a blur to wrap around her.
Before she could react, one vine had gripped her wrist like a vice.
In less than a heartbeat, the clone had grown into a massive tree, binding Yugito tightly.
"What the hell!"
Cee gasped, immediately pushing his sensory abilities to their limit in search of Haruto's true body.
Yugito flared her tailed beast chakra, trying to break free.
Only then did she realize—this giant tree restraining her was suppressing her bijū's power.
"Wood Release naturally carries sealing properties. Forget you—even the Nine-Tails, the strongest of the tailed beasts, can be captured by it."
Haruto's voice echoed through the room.
A, Mifune, Hiruzen, Cee, Darui, Yamanaka Kaze, and even the samurai of the Land of Iron looked up to see Haruto lounging casually on one of the massive tree's branches, one leg swinging lazily.
"When…"
Cee frowned. Other than genjutsu and medical ninjutsu, his greatest pride was his sensory ability.
From the moment Yamanaka Kaze had acted, he had been on high alert.
Yet Haruto had hidden his true body completely—he hadn't even noticed when the Wood Release clone was created.
"Cee, your sensory skills are indeed impressive," Haruto said calmly, looking down at the group.
Had this been during the Five Kage Summit, Cee's abilities might have been a real threat.
But now, over a decade later, his current self—both in caution, perception, and ninjutsu—couldn't compare to the Cee of that time.
In other words, he still had a long way to grow.
"Wood Release clones are different from ordinary tangible clones. Not even the Byakugan or Sharingan can tell them apart—let alone sensory abilities."
Haruto's tone was light, but his eyes caught the way A shifted into an offensive stance.
"I don't care whether you're the real one or a clone," A growled. "If I can't tell the difference, I'll just destroy every single one of you in an instant!"
He inhaled deeply, lightning chakra spreading across his body once again.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode!
"Coating the body in lightning chakra… hardening it, speeding it up, creating a living armor."
Haruto observed from above.
In shinobi battles, information was everything.
To a first-time opponent of A's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the sheer gap in speed could leave them utterly helpless.
Just like when Sasuke faced Rock Lee—his Sharingan could track every movement, but his body simply couldn't keep up.
"In that case… I'll play along, Raikage."
Haruto stood up from the branch, drawing his Zanpakutō.
"Heh." A let out a low, cold laugh. "You think I'm playing with you?"
"Wait—that blade…"
Cee, standing beside A, suddenly tensed.
Before this meeting, he had encountered Haruto in the streets and seen his asauchi.
Of all the ninja tools he had ever seen, Haruto's asauchi had been one of the finest.
But now… the blade at Haruto's waist seemed even more formidable than before.
What was going on…?
"No. I'm the one playing with you," Haruto replied to A's challenge, as if he didn't even need to try his hardest to fight him.
"Shatter, Benrai."
Haruto's voice dropped as he released his Zanpakutō.
Violet lightning flared, particles of energy swirling around him.
The sword in his hand was gone—replaced by gleaming silver gauntlets.
"The blade… disappeared?"
Mifune and the others widened their eyes. They had expected Haruto to unleash some high-level sword technique—yet the weapon had simply vanished.
Jūryū Baku!